1. Field of Invention
This invention is related to both perforators and perforated tape readers for machines designed to transmit and process data.
More particularly, this invention refers to a ratchet-gear device for feeding tape for perforators or perforated tape readers for teleprinters and the like for intermittent or continuous perforated tape reading.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Devices for feeding perforated tape for tape perforators or readers are already known. In a device, described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,051,381, the first lever is pivotally mounted on a second lever splined to the shaft of an electric motor. When the electric motor is energized, it causes the second lever to partially rotate, which in its turn displaces the first lever until it meshes with a gear incorporated with the tape feed shaft, with its one end, in order to make it rotate by one feed pitch. When the gear has advanced by one feed pitch, the second lever end meshes with the gear to lock it and thus avoid further advance caused by inertia of the gear itself.
This device necessitates an independent starting motor to achieve tape advance thus rendering the device more complex and costly; beside this it requires a separate lever to lock the gear after it has rotated by one pitch, this causing considerable noise and a greater tendency for faults owing to repeated impact of levers against the gear.